May was yet another busy one for psychedelic news, with plenty of drug policy reform progress, industry developments, groundbreaking research, and a couple controversial events taking place. In this month’s update we’ll dive into these topics and much more.
Here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:
There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:
Drug Policy
Wins
Two states made huge progress on cannabis reform. First, Montana’s governor signed a bill to implement the recreational marijuana program that voters approved last November. Retail sales for adults 21 and older will begin in January of next year. And continuing an emerging pattern of Southern states revamping cannabis laws, Alabama’s governor signed legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The country is turning more and more green every month!
A few other bills made huge progress as well but have not crossed the finish line yet: an attempt to decriminalize psychedelics in California, legislation that would enable Texas to conduct psychedelic research, a cannabis legalization effort in Minnesota, and Switzerland is getting closer to legalizing marijuana as well.
Losses
Some bills hit a wall though. In Mexico lawmakers failed to legalize cannabis ahead of a Supreme Court deadline, Aspen’s city council chose not to decriminalize psychedelics, drug possession is now a misdemeanor in Washington State, Mississippi’s Supreme Court overturned a medical marijuana legalization ballot that voters approved last November, Colorado and New York banned delta-8 THC, China banned synthetic cannabinoids, and Amsterdam and a London borough banned nitrous oxide.
Future
Looking ahead, Republicans in the U.S. are pushing for the federal legalization of cannabis to ensure individual liberty, so legal weed in America is looking more and more like becoming a possibility sometime soon.
Industry
An NHL star’s brain trauma led him to found a psychedelic startup company, legal cannabis states have generated nearly $8 billion in tax revenue since recreational sales launched, Champignon Brands changed its name to Braxia Scientific, and MindMed announced Project Angie, the company’s attempt to treat pain with psychedelics.
Research
The results from MAPS’ Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD are in, and things are looking promising for this novel form of treatment. Out of 90 participants who enrolled in the study, the group which received MDMA during therapy experienced a more significant reduction in the severity of their PTSD symptoms compared to the placebo-controlled group. In fact, two months after treatment 67% of people in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis whereas only 32% of the placebo group did. These results are promising and lend credence to the idea that MDMA will be legally available for medical use within the next couple years.
Other research studies found that psilocybin may be able to treat migraine headaches, how LSD opens the doors of perception, that frequent cannabis consumers are more physically active than non-users, and that actual drug education is far better than the government’s typical approach of “just say no.” In addition, the U.S. federal government announced a new standard THC dose to be used in cannabis research.
Miscellaneous
Causing a bit of a stir in the global psychedelic community, a publication known as Psychedelic Invest published a list of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics ranking candidates based on the following factors: social reach, scientific accomplishments, legislative initiatives, and value creation/contribution. The list was criticized for its lack of diversity, which prompted a public response acknowledging the fact the publication failed to prioritize the inclusion of a diverse group of people when creating it. In today’s political climate it’s no wonder that the publication of a list like this was heavily criticized, but the constructive reaction from Psychedelic Invest indicates that the publication is willing to learn from its mistake.
A new cannabis product generated an uproar on social media. Dubbed Canna Bumps, this unique cannabis concentrate looked kind of like cocaine and was intended to be snorted by consumers. Needless to say, it caught a lot of flack from industry insiders and judgmental marijuana smokers alike. Claiming that it would hurt the movement to legalize cannabis on a federal level, enough people complained that the product was quickly pulled from the market.
Now me personally, I can see how a product like this could be used by drug warriors to hurt the effort to reform drug laws, but I’m also in full support of people consuming their preferred drugs by whatever route of administration they see fit. Hopefully one of these days a snortable marijuana product will be available for consumers, but until then things are just going to keep moving a bit more slowly.
Wrapping up this month’s recap is an update on where Decriminalize Nature stands when it comes to peyote. You may recall that some Native American groups around the country have spoken out against the drug decriminalization movement including peyote in its recommendations for drugs to be decriminalized, and now Decrim Nature has officially announced a peyote conservation plan that is intended to work in tandem with the conservation strategy that is already underway.
Under this resolution, peyote found in its natural habit would be available only for indigenous communities and poaching would continue to be penalized, but the personal cultivation of peyote by non-indigenous people would be decriminalized, which would hopefully address the existing demand for the cacti and help assist with the ongoing conservation effort.
That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.
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